Lawmakers push for answers days after Border Patrol detains crew workers helping firefighters in Washington blaze

Source: CNN US

PUBLISHED Aug 31, 2025, 10:33 AM ET


Just days after two crew workers helping battle Washington’s largest wildfire were arrested by Border Patrol, Washington Rep. Emily Randall — who represents the district where the men are being held — was denied entry to the facility, calling the situation “disgusting” in an interview with CNN affiliate KOMO.

“For the first time –– not even my first unannounced visit –– we were denied entry,” she said, according to KOMO. “I cited the statute multiple times to make sure that they understood they were breaking the law, and they said, ‘Well, your previous visits have not been on a weekend.’”

The statute prevents the Department of Homeland Security from using its funding to stop certain people, like members of Congress, from entering facilities where immigrants are held, if they are there to do oversight. CNN has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for comment. One of the two men arrested, his attorney said, had been waiting for a response to a U-visa application for seven years, which protects victims of serious crimes who assist federal investigators.

“Firstly, it’s illegal to detain people who have applied for victim-based immigration benefits, as one of the individuals who was detained did,” Washington state Rep. Shaun Scott told CNN. “Secondly, it’s also illegal, according to the federal government’s own policies, to conduct immigration enforcement at locations where emergency responses are happening,” he added.

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2025/08/31/us/washington-fire-detain-worker-border-patrol